tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70609917392665141012024-02-06T20:06:18.524-08:00Adactinadminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.comBlogger542125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-34657230241712018522019-01-08T01:03:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:54.032-08:00Ford's ‘Robutt’ helps seats survive sweaty workouts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzdVrx_rz-wZ9uUBqsjuIGORY94iqVBiZEbpuPfU2j6pjF0Z48or8X00qorss-dhYeDL6ivVQLkbe-NaFwxgvgkKbsKIho9uVgfq6glFLSxXcspCgDZt6x9QXsBNlHK4cPbg05p-JghY/s1600/Final+Edit+US_CLEAN.00_00_17_03.Still003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzdVrx_rz-wZ9uUBqsjuIGORY94iqVBiZEbpuPfU2j6pjF0Z48or8X00qorss-dhYeDL6ivVQLkbe-NaFwxgvgkKbsKIho9uVgfq6glFLSxXcspCgDZt6x9QXsBNlHK4cPbg05p-JghY/s800/Final+Edit+US_CLEAN.00_00_17_03.Still003.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Joining a gym, taking an exercise class or breaking out the running kit are high on many people’s list of New Year’s resolutions. <br /><br />But not everyone will want to – or be able to – have a shower before jumping in their car to go home afterwards.<br /><br />Ford are making sure that all this good work isn’t bad news for your car seat with the help of a robotic bottom simulator called “Robutt”.<br /><br /><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2017/10/robo-butt-robot-which-mimics-human.html">First used to ensure that the materials used in Ford's car seats could withstand a decade’s regular dry wear and tear</a>, engineers have now developed “Robutt” to simulate what happens when owners get in their Ford cars when a bit on the sweaty side.<br /><br />Development engineer Florian Rohwer<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>Cars are a part of our everyday lives, and at this time of year in particular, so is exercise. The ‘Robutt’ is a great way to check our seats will look good for years to come.</i>” </span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwBvrY0Pmyx5H0r7t1cuxFq3d2Vb9w-ZlPvGInx7bN7qHQ9LmuJY2RfrBEj15AhTG0M70ugbnLMjnJuheAVzIKKo_g_qNCu7avgI8w4waxsRYuvYc08j87-YGr8v7ILa9gzVTOx89XCc/s1600/Robutt-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1600" height="685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwBvrY0Pmyx5H0r7t1cuxFq3d2Vb9w-ZlPvGInx7bN7qHQ9LmuJY2RfrBEj15AhTG0M70ugbnLMjnJuheAVzIKKo_g_qNCu7avgI8w4waxsRYuvYc08j87-YGr8v7ILa9gzVTOx89XCc/s800/Robutt-collage.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br />For the sweat test, “Robutt” simulates a decade’s worth of car use in just three day’s as it sits, bounces and twists in the seat 7,500 times. Based on the dimensions of a large man, the robotic bottom is heated to 36° C, and soaked with 450 millilitres of water.<br /><br />Introduced in 2018 for <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFiesta">Fiesta</a>, the “Robutt” seat test is now being rolled out for all Ford vehicles in Europe<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1imWlr_PiPA" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTech">More tech stories</a>, <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFiesta">more Fiesta stories</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-82483909745859863042019-01-07T07:53:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:54.514-08:00Ken Block's GYMKHANA TEN: Extended Cut; SWEDEN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Y8mHvbX4M3qBwctiHeWCeI0Sem3hgOgoMgnNvqexbnLBHjZndlaC6-1NKIKzfEqb7ZqirysVxjKiLxqeczyjmiO1JNNr_vfu8uGWFW7esd4s92HWSzqRK2VdRCKoT_TcWLqTN87O3w/s1600/YIO_7971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Y8mHvbX4M3qBwctiHeWCeI0Sem3hgOgoMgnNvqexbnLBHjZndlaC6-1NKIKzfEqb7ZqirysVxjKiLxqeczyjmiO1JNNr_vfu8uGWFW7esd4s92HWSzqRK2VdRCKoT_TcWLqTN87O3w/s800/YIO_7971.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />New, never before seen footage - new angles - and a new cut of the very first segment of Gymkhana TEN.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxX62i8Wk4REWf8D89qjLVnsjd7wwDcCohadusekjiiBECIXnkknKrGNwmpjimm-MUNWMCntfTSAnjFU2Ul7F3cQ04q7tnZ5ir7Ina0eXpP12OjTTewqLGI2vQhaWUQk49y_zeNUOU9M/s1600/Collage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxX62i8Wk4REWf8D89qjLVnsjd7wwDcCohadusekjiiBECIXnkknKrGNwmpjimm-MUNWMCntfTSAnjFU2Ul7F3cQ04q7tnZ5ir7Ina0eXpP12OjTTewqLGI2vQhaWUQk49y_zeNUOU9M/s800/Collage2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-7W4SFwvyGjPVYO0ICFfztlxG_KwRvlQwfhHxn1dqj7qLYIyfq_dhu5e6T10LlF4swNrGmin5R3Q7n38GMld6TLOhnuie44iq_bDrFaD-bwjci9lVGZoo1XDDld3lejTfs9R2bjHF2I/s1600/YIO_6543-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-7W4SFwvyGjPVYO0ICFfztlxG_KwRvlQwfhHxn1dqj7qLYIyfq_dhu5e6T10LlF4swNrGmin5R3Q7n38GMld6TLOhnuie44iq_bDrFaD-bwjci9lVGZoo1XDDld3lejTfs9R2bjHF2I/s800/YIO_6543-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxlutFZf7kb-p4SefJwg1EV0BEl0Oia1Lm1Owu8AYc59OVliGOBZZXdd3HsAQtrJbJ_IPI-4Bezb2POCkO-ec7w8oTFigNKW_FlCSY-EQ1eVGCfmyKulFCfkj5NMUC1yrZ-mAjak9T08/s1600/Collage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxlutFZf7kb-p4SefJwg1EV0BEl0Oia1Lm1Owu8AYc59OVliGOBZZXdd3HsAQtrJbJ_IPI-4Bezb2POCkO-ec7w8oTFigNKW_FlCSY-EQ1eVGCfmyKulFCfkj5NMUC1yrZ-mAjak9T08/s800/Collage1.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br />Driven by Ken Block in the World Rally Championship winning 2018 Ford Fiesta WRC car (left) with Oliver Solberg, 16-year-old Nordic RX Champion appearing in his Fords Fiesta WRC car (right).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FTQt5HECz4QqFEaCLFPDh8vO27nb51e6GSEwCEsNP_T1_yD-4ZR6Ch3Z2T_ciH3gm1pa0KsMyH_JbPvOmfJzuAKJz4gtW9nyYgdTG2G8LpEHh8m4KGDR80FdBteC__1Mzy-3ks1VWEo/s1600/LY5D5253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1600" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FTQt5HECz4QqFEaCLFPDh8vO27nb51e6GSEwCEsNP_T1_yD-4ZR6Ch3Z2T_ciH3gm1pa0KsMyH_JbPvOmfJzuAKJz4gtW9nyYgdTG2G8LpEHh8m4KGDR80FdBteC__1Mzy-3ks1VWEo/s800/LY5D5253.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>Watch the video below!<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wnPV0hneKmY?end=276" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">more fun articles</a>, or <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Performance">more Ford performance</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-47534552677717566482019-01-03T04:56:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:54.872-08:00Elvis picking up his 1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQRS75LhAwBxdd92hlt0Jt8WfU2maCjxkxUwsmzLVP36ZfCHN5dK1Y975kU2f-ZNhMPJbNSgEyS9cO0nNu0ZdT3FNKJRVX-XU90eW1SGI3SK2YCFWTJGGuWyYYmIKnuRCGL0OfQzYvAs/s1600/Elvis-Presley-1962-Ford-Thunderbird-Sports-Roadster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1030" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQRS75LhAwBxdd92hlt0Jt8WfU2maCjxkxUwsmzLVP36ZfCHN5dK1Y975kU2f-ZNhMPJbNSgEyS9cO0nNu0ZdT3FNKJRVX-XU90eW1SGI3SK2YCFWTJGGuWyYYmIKnuRCGL0OfQzYvAs/s800/Elvis-Presley-1962-Ford-Thunderbird-Sports-Roadster.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Elvis Presley would have celebrated his 84th birthday this month. Pictured here, aged 27, the King is taking delivery of his brand new 1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster. The high-end model featured special wire wheels, a tonneau cover to hide the rear seats, and grille slots on the rear fenders. The man obviously had good taste.<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Heritage">More Ford heritage stories</a>, <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">more Ford fun stories</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-78092932848861989212019-01-02T05:52:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:55.230-08:00Highlights from the Ford Edge in Sweden 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCvZ_lEmfp9UJZ2VBaXWNaPm7E782cVjgJsjZ_OR3OQ6eGEoOD9NSfkdbJlSGmGlWnDr7QHDEkzeY4hFgGxp-q3rweqnCYoLy2_meCXDZci09h57AH1gn6uONuSMRE6FMV9i_MoCgDR8/s1600/Edge_UK_038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1600" height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCvZ_lEmfp9UJZ2VBaXWNaPm7E782cVjgJsjZ_OR3OQ6eGEoOD9NSfkdbJlSGmGlWnDr7QHDEkzeY4hFgGxp-q3rweqnCYoLy2_meCXDZci09h57AH1gn6uONuSMRE6FMV9i_MoCgDR8/s800/Edge_UK_038.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Where do you take people to experience your top of the line SUV? Ford Europe opted for the area around Åre in Sweden.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGyAm8vTOAc3ssYjK8ivdm_LiHgmekBU70yTBXi6EZlGplNSvGpxgIj6HDUBYAGt-rgJ_misZfCLEVxfb2OAiMozCcW0rBs9p4umOk4-snyKRt-8WZEuCaUq0pMqumDOP3UHu8ArDmE4/s1600/Edge_UK_060-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGyAm8vTOAc3ssYjK8ivdm_LiHgmekBU70yTBXi6EZlGplNSvGpxgIj6HDUBYAGt-rgJ_misZfCLEVxfb2OAiMozCcW0rBs9p4umOk4-snyKRt-8WZEuCaUq0pMqumDOP3UHu8ArDmE4/s800/Edge_UK_060-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>And very nice it looks too!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYgrcTQZvqHOsd_lJMd9djOBEpeBikv3sXz3uYccPDx7CPCXGm_wpLTyIzomje8CMrSGreWKWBOXXW-pJrJX-RQ0IfvaYRhRe5WzX5o24OVZIvH6nwJ4byqpb00Q7qP-wqGUPOeA7IcY/s1600/Edge_UK_037-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYgrcTQZvqHOsd_lJMd9djOBEpeBikv3sXz3uYccPDx7CPCXGm_wpLTyIzomje8CMrSGreWKWBOXXW-pJrJX-RQ0IfvaYRhRe5WzX5o24OVZIvH6nwJ4byqpb00Q7qP-wqGUPOeA7IcY/s800/Edge_UK_037-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/URglzAfU9QY?list=PLSDdJ-bq9Y1_z05tTQFTGznpgUEl2Dy0m" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordEdge">more Ford Edge stories</a>, or <a href="https://ford.to/EdgeSUV" target="_blank">explore the Ford Edge</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-49682378719365690442018-12-26T12:02:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:52:34.047-08:00Tech Book Face Off: The Seasoned Schemer Vs. The Reasoned SchemerYears ago I was led to the Schemer books by some of <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/steveyegge2/ten-great-books">Steve Yegge's</a> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/steveyegge2/ten-challenges">blog posts</a>. It's been over two years since I've read <i><a href="https://sam-koblenski.blogspot.com/2016/06/tech-book-face-off-c-programming.html">The Little Schemer</a></i>, but I enjoyed it so much that I always planned to read the sequel, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-MIT-Press/dp/026256100X">The Seasoned Schemer</a></i>. I recently made the time to do just that, along with working through another Schemer book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-MIT-Press-ebook/dp/B07B9SL4LR">The Reasoned Schemer</a></i>, that's not so much a continuation of the other two Schemer books as it is a tangential book written in the same endearing style as the others. Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen wrote <i>The Seasoned Schemer</i> in the style of a Socratic dialogue, but in a much more whimsical way. A host of authors, including Daniel P. Friedman again, as well as William E. Byrd, Oleg Kiselyov, and Jason Hemann put together the questions, answers, and Scheme-based reasoning language used in <i>The Reasoned Schemer</i>. The real question is, are these two books as good as the original?<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-MIT-Press/dp/026256100X"><img alt="The Seasoned Schemer front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV419YGGsgBxXK68-_OGCL6ZTf5A9pXKxOvih1m8Efc9FUT-w-Eb4VyUSXBsjk7Q5LlVJnWrt4kbhDIKVCMgo8ZrsZE68-6Twyjw56B1xp89XVJcAyZmew_X3b1lJUKn40Firydg0FN4/s1600/seasoned_schemer_cover.jpg" /></a></td><td style="padding: 30px;">VS.</td><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-MIT-Press-ebook/dp/B07B9SL4LR"><img alt="The Reasoned Schemer front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq5tEhwbWlHJx8zWeNo3N-A_jjjNNmw8DAHX4itfq3Ne0wruT84Hm7-xXIAaczFNh-ZuSFhlSTz4teJLuW7pGVyBaLxK_dcYxtDw3fJFIk2VQAHFH5U9mubfCeo0F6uwdjLF0Mzv4n-4/s1600/reasoned_schemer_cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a name='more'></a><h4>The Seasoned Schemer</h4><br />Do you like learning about programming?<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><b>#t</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you enjoy challenges?</div><div style="text-align: right;"><b>#t</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How about functional programming?</div><div style="text-align: right;"><b>#t</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And food and pictures of elephants?</div><div style="text-align: right;">Of course.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then you probably enjoyed <i>The Little Schemer</i>, and you'll enjoy this book just as much. <i>The Seasoned Schemer</i> more or less follows the same format as <i>The Little Schemer</i>, and it more or less picks up where the latter book left off. What do I mean by more or less? Well, the first book leaned more toward asking questions of the reader that you could actually answer from following the line of questioning. Towards the end it became more of a dialog between two people while the reader was observing that dialog. <i>The Seasoned Schemer</i> definitely follows the later style of a question-answer dialogue that the reader is not so much participating in, but taking in and learning from instead.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This change of pace is not necessarily bad, though. It was just as entertaining and enlightening as before, and there were plenty of times where I sat there chuckling at the zany Q&As that were bouncing back and forth. Whenever there were questions about how to write functions or what was the result of executing functions, I attempted answering them, but there were long of stretches of dialogue that were meant more to be experienced than to be answered.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As for continuing on from <i>The Little Schemer</i>, the book does do that, and the authors assume the reader has read it in its entirety. However, they do remind the reader what the functions are that they defined in the first book so you don't have to go searching back to refresh your memory. They also relax the difficulty level through the first few chapters instead of continuing to ratchet it up from the high level it was left at in <i>The Little Schemer</i>. That's a good thing, because things were getting pretty mind-bending towards the end of the first book, and it was nice to ease back into things before getting crazy-weird again, as things do when you're learning how to implement and interpret the functions you're learning about in the language that said functions are already defined in.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They start out teaching the reader about some new functions that do various interesting things: <b>let, if, set!, letrec, </b>and <b>letcc</b>. As in the last book, the reader learns by doing, and you end up implementing a bunch of functions that modify lists of foods in various ways using these built-in functions. Then things get much more challenging as we learn how the built-in functions themselves are implemented in an interpreter written from scratch. It's an extension of the interpreter developed in the last book, and the extensions are even more difficult to comprehend because the implemented functions themselves are more difficult, especially <b>letrec</b> and <b>letcc</b>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The ramp-up in difficulty was softened somewhat by the pure whimsicalness of the dialogue, sometimes poking fun at LISPers themselves:</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">How many more <i>cons</i>es does <i>deep </i>use to return the same value as <i>deepM</i></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">499,500</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">"A LISP programmer knows the value of everything but the cost of nothing."</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">Thank you, Alan J. Perlis</div><div style="text-align: right;">(1922-1990).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><Next page></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But we know the value of food!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((((((((((((more pizza))))))))))))))))) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((((((((((more pizza))))))))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((((((((((((more pizza)))))))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((((((((more pizza))))))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((((((((((more pizza)))))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((((((more pizza))))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((((((((more pizza)))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((((more pizza))))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((((((more pizza)))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((((more pizza))))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((((more pizza)))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((((more pizza))))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((((more pizza)))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((((more pizza))))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(((more pizza)))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">((more pizza))</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(more pizza)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> more pizza)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe it's not as funny repeated here, but then you'll just have to read the book to get the full effect. I had a blast working through it, and I couldn't put it down. The challenge of fully understanding everything in it was steep, though. I definitely will need to go back through both Schemer books to get a better understanding of how everything works, especially the later chapters. If you enjoy a challenge, don't mind a drastically different writing style for a textbook, and like having a little lighthearted fun in the process, then definitely give this book a chance. Of course, you've already read <i>The Little Schemer</i>, so I didn't even need to tell you that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Reasoned Schemer</span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">After whetting my appetite with <i>The Seasoned Schemer</i>, I was ready for more scheming with this book. It should be stated that <i>The Reasoned Schemer</i> is not a continuation of the other two Schemer books. It goes off in a completely different direction. Instead of getting further into the theory of computation and how to build a Scheme interpreter in Scheme, this book describes and then builds a language like Prolog for logic programming in Scheme. In fact, <a href="http://minikanren.org/">miniKanren</a> is derived directly from the language development of this book.<br /><br />Once again I thoroughly enjoyed the Socratic dialogue format of the book, and I felt that it was an excellent way to teach and develop the material. Like <i>The Seasoned Schemer</i>, the dialogue seems at times to be meant to be read straight through instead of having the reader answer the questions directly. Sometimes the questions are nearly impossible to answer with the information already presented, and sometimes the answers ask questions back to the questioner. It's more of a back-and-forth dialogue that's meant to reveal insight rather than direct questions at the reader.<br /><br />Even with this reader-as-observer format, the reader can attempt plenty of the questions when they are along the lines of, "how is this implemented" or, "what is the result of this code." I did notice that the examples and implementations tended to be switched around compared to the other Schemer books. In the other books, the questions would start with examples using a new function where the reader was asked to predict the results. Then the questioner would move to the implementation of the function. In this book it seemed that as often as not, the implementation questions came first, and the questions on usage examples came after the functions were described. It works both ways, and I'm not sure I have a preference.<br /><br />Another difference from the other books was a toning down of the sense of humor. <i>The Reasoned Schemer</i> is decidedly more serious, and that was a bit disappointing. I rather enjoyed the whimsical fun of the other books. The material was still solid and interesting, though, so it's only a minor quibble.<br /><br />So what does <i>The Reasoned Schemer</i> cover about logic programming? It starts off with explaining how equality relations work, what fresh and reified variables are, and what unification does. These are all concepts in logic programming that feel very different than other types of programming. Then discussions of conjunctions, disjunctions, and defining relations completes the foundation of logic programming so that we're ready to move on to more complex topics.<br /><br />Following the basics we build up <b>conde</b> from conjunctions and disjunctions, and we see that <b>conde</b> is similar to <b>cond</b> in Scheme. Then we continue on, building up a number of relations that are similar to the basic functions found in Scheme, like <b>caro</b>, <b>cdro</b>, <b>conso</b>, <b>nullo</b>, <b>pairo</b>, etc. Notice that all of these relations end in <b>o</b>? That's because these functions are just like their Scheme counterparts, except that they are relations. After a few chapters of building up relations associated with familiar functions from Scheme, we delve into a classical application of mathematical logic and build up an arithmetic system from fundamentals, defining addition, multiplication, and exponentiation (and their inverses) with relations. It was really neat, I must say.<br /><br />After all of these chapters on explaining the language and using it, the last chapter goes through how to implement it in Scheme. It was pretty impressive seeing the whole language built in one chapter, minus a couple functions covered in a short appendix using Scheme macros. The whole experience was super enjoyable, and I'm extremely happy to have read these unique, wonderful books. The Q&A format, the wacky humor, and the strong content made for an excellent time learning Scheme and logic programming. I didn't understand everything the first time around, but that just means I get to read them again. I'm looking forward to it. I highly, <i>highly</i> recommend all three Schemer books.<br /><br />Now make yourself a roasted lamb shank with baked spaghetti and cheese.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">Enjoy.</div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-14542974072437052762018-12-20T02:39:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:55.587-08:00Is it possible to decorate a Christmas tree in 60 seconds?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMx1Fjv1j-ct3-Y8SF6BEev_6TlwxPsioR2Tbzzy711QFgN0pLToss_zqpcKtM7dspOt0UpI9r1124JRM4uDQx1qNXQ4v6RifpyGAsnse42J_O_kNEUInkhDKKTyr4DogqrNu0EJNlPI/s1600/PSS-Ho-Ho.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1600" height="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMx1Fjv1j-ct3-Y8SF6BEev_6TlwxPsioR2Tbzzy711QFgN0pLToss_zqpcKtM7dspOt0UpI9r1124JRM4uDQx1qNXQ4v6RifpyGAsnse42J_O_kNEUInkhDKKTyr4DogqrNu0EJNlPI/s800/PSS-Ho-Ho.png" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The short answer is yes ...</span><br /><br />You just need to get the UK's top stunt driver <a href="https://www.paulswift.com/" target="_blank">Paul Swift</a> to do donuts round said tree in a <b><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordMustang">Ford Mustang</a></b> while Sun motoring journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/robgilluk" target="_blank">Rob Gill</a> unfurls the Christmas tree lights from the passenger window!<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jlgCQjanQIY?list=PLSDdJ-bq9Y19WfMqK072acuwTVuyfQhTr&rel=0&showinfo=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">more fun stories</a>, or <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordMustang">more Ford Mustang</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-51496570791116913672018-12-19T02:53:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:55.944-08:00Ford Europe - Restoring Festive Spirit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHVM3Yu-doF_RbO45X-wPzlWgBFjvWFlr5w7Nwx4E7j3MyOzMWP3TwwkwYXyyCBKEskf8d5Kf63v9kx4zAJpxdpkxP_dLb1LGjz_6AVTZWJdV0frxK2iTbaoQ2LbYnkC-UJPEXwmYsJ8/s1600/Christmas+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1554" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHVM3Yu-doF_RbO45X-wPzlWgBFjvWFlr5w7Nwx4E7j3MyOzMWP3TwwkwYXyyCBKEskf8d5Kf63v9kx4zAJpxdpkxP_dLb1LGjz_6AVTZWJdV0frxK2iTbaoQ2LbYnkC-UJPEXwmYsJ8/s800/Christmas+book.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />For the past six years <b>Ford Europe</b> has had a bit of fun at Christmas with a stop motion animation video. It’s a small gift to all the Ford fans that hopefully puts a smile on their face.<br /><br />This year, Ford are at it again but with a slightly more tender storyline than the usual high octane antics of the <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2016/12/snowkhana-5-coming-soon.html">Snowkhana series</a> (or last year's interactive experience, <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2017/12/are-you-on-santas-naughty-list.html" target="_blank">which can be revisited here</a>).<br /><br />This years's short video is an acknowledgement of the role Ford's cars can play in the lives of their customers, through the good times and the bad.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFVMWTva7Elte-vaEqkK0ri5OwVGr1hr0i58Z9ImGQX0fbpenCs7fz7WtvcSQksIUi_KyDojiXVlUg9xWmHRSFjdd4sq-1UT2e-FW-pAvvqTZEeqttBOSUVu8hvwtxqKS81QR1qPFsCU/s1600/xmas3-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="1258" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFVMWTva7Elte-vaEqkK0ri5OwVGr1hr0i58Z9ImGQX0fbpenCs7fz7WtvcSQksIUi_KyDojiXVlUg9xWmHRSFjdd4sq-1UT2e-FW-pAvvqTZEeqttBOSUVu8hvwtxqKS81QR1qPFsCU/s800/xmas3-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />When a young woman stumbles upon her dad’s old car in a state of disrepair – that she grew up with and even owned after she passed her driving test – how could she not try to restore it to its former glory? <br /><br />Some may say cars are just metal, but often the family memories created in them can make them so much more, and that’s something worth celebrating.<br /><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GRA6aF9az4Q?rel=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><br />The entire film was shot on an iPhone using the Stop Motion app, and is the first YouTube video <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-uGdDHxmwi_eH5t_ph9uuw" target="_blank">Ford Europe</a></b> has uploaded shot entirely on a mobile device.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">View more Ford fun stories</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-58239276041390258232018-12-19T02:34:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:56.301-08:00Ford Transit lights up short days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNaGsFcv12cwN5MvDgM7CWi0YrMhbPaThj4uRmg7QaRG5XDzV52zkMoJ95Qsz9zk17EbyDRUTyYpslKe-BgmYMAmLKv4fZa2bGMGJbAO8umd7vdDL042EHW5MDxBh8XSDr0W3zLvK_u8/s1600/Transit-Downlighter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNaGsFcv12cwN5MvDgM7CWi0YrMhbPaThj4uRmg7QaRG5XDzV52zkMoJ95Qsz9zk17EbyDRUTyYpslKe-BgmYMAmLKv4fZa2bGMGJbAO8umd7vdDL042EHW5MDxBh8XSDr0W3zLvK_u8/s800/Transit-Downlighter.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />In London, the shortest day of the year delivers almost nine fewer daylight hours than the longest.<br /><br />And short winter days are typically when plumbers and heating engineers need every available minute to fix pipes and heating systems that can break in freezing weather.<br /><br />To help tradespeople carry on working even after the sun has gone down, Ford's new Transit van features a powerful and energy-efficient LED downlighter. Mounted on the rear of the van’s roof, it lights up an area behind the vehicle for working with tools and equipment on a workbench. <br /><br />Michael McDonagh, Transit global chief programme engineer, Ford of Europe.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>The new downlighter is an example of a simple idea that helps hard-working tradespeople get the job done for their customers.</i>”</span></blockquote><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rzLWfQjIEmc?rel=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTech">more Ford technology</a>, or <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTransit">more Ford Transit stories</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-82425774966957660182018-12-18T07:44:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:29:45.014-08:00Christmas special offer<span style="font-size: large;">Christmas is almost here and the PacktPub has a great offer for you.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Every ebook, every video for only $5. Go and browse the latest titles and maybe you will find to books you will read the next year.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="https://www.packtpub.com/hardware-and-creative/esp8266-home-automation-projects" target="_blank">ESP8266 book</a> is in the offer. Get it and start some new IoT project in the 2019!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvV1R7FIv2Sqe2B_burQzA5Gp95y627y31i3lrhJkasLlljPwb0NROraRE6zeRdDcyTY5QsdsZygu4Xy14n7WVC7DlMsSTD-aeqhpxhNZ6-ABpMjjHWAZXunRdhxloGRTmV7nnuoWaXQ/s1600/%25245+Xmas-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1201" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvV1R7FIv2Sqe2B_burQzA5Gp95y627y31i3lrhJkasLlljPwb0NROraRE6zeRdDcyTY5QsdsZygu4Xy14n7WVC7DlMsSTD-aeqhpxhNZ6-ABpMjjHWAZXunRdhxloGRTmV7nnuoWaXQ/s640/%25245+Xmas-02.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-53769172773992480872018-12-17T02:19:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:56.658-08:00Noise-Cancelling Kennel - A safe place for man's best friend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCH7eH1raRPp4vwYf3NgKEEZDSDC28fmjgkhAtr4X4j5tssfh4LxQD9JBw1ktuS-Jc7zcHDsFHdEwSXQ0o9dE1pqsjHXt7VnRa8Hcp8sPLWV5svpwAySaOaHhyphenhyphendUxpWF0EhxsZzre89A/s1600/Kennel-hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCH7eH1raRPp4vwYf3NgKEEZDSDC28fmjgkhAtr4X4j5tssfh4LxQD9JBw1ktuS-Jc7zcHDsFHdEwSXQ0o9dE1pqsjHXt7VnRa8Hcp8sPLWV5svpwAySaOaHhyphenhyphendUxpWF0EhxsZzre89A/s800/Kennel-hero.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br />New Year’s Eve. Faces lit up with joy as the countdown to midnight begins and the skies are illuminated by fireworks. But the soundtrack to that experience can be a painful one for pets and worrying for owners.<br /><br />An estimated 45 per cent of dogs in the UK show signs of fear when they hear fireworks – causing distress to owners and their families too.<br /><br />One possible answer could be a noise-cancelling kennel that uses similar technology to that found in cars and headphones to protect sensitive canine ears and ensure owners do not have to banish their pets away from the rest of the family. <br /><br />Once microphones inside the prototype kennel detect the sound of the fireworks, a built-in audio system emits opposing frequencies that in effect cancels out the noise completely – or at least reduces it significantly. High-density cork, ideal for sound proofing was an integral part of the design. The result? No more stress for your pet. A concept for now, but with the potential to mean a much better start to the year, both for your dog – and for you.<br /><br /><div>Graeme Hall, “<a href="https://www.dogfather.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Dogfather</a>”, one of the UK's best dog trainers who has helped 5,000 dogs and their owners with behavioural problems.</div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>Many animals find fireworks scary – and compared to people, dogs can hear things that are four times further away, and across a much wider range of frequencies. Preparing in advance of firework displays is the key – and part of that is to identify a place where your pets feel safe and happy.</i>”</span></blockquote><br />The idea was inspired by the noise-cancelling technology that we have introduced to the <a href="https://ford.to/EdgeSUV" target="_blank">Edge SUV</a>, that helps to ensure quieter journeys for drivers and passengers. When microphones pick up high levels of noise from the engine or transmission, this is counteracted using opposing sound waves from the car’s audio system. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyGu2f-7GQFcLVqWhbY5HkrdNOjsT_6CEinV9wpz7x1a6di3YxunBVfqEA_zAiPWg8wxTrLcY_LfoSy1bTrCj5Vk8bduuhEgUcMgHNbrqozTmZGIcAFI5hdSSYgnQyXK0Ed6IEe7XMN8/s1600/Kennel-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyGu2f-7GQFcLVqWhbY5HkrdNOjsT_6CEinV9wpz7x1a6di3YxunBVfqEA_zAiPWg8wxTrLcY_LfoSy1bTrCj5Vk8bduuhEgUcMgHNbrqozTmZGIcAFI5hdSSYgnQyXK0Ed6IEe7XMN8/s1600/Kennel-collage.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyn-west-0658a024/" target="_blank">Lyn West</a>, brand content manager, Marketing Communications, Ford of Europe.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>We wondered how the technologies we use in our cars could help people in other situations. Making sure dogs and their owners could enjoy a stress-free New Year’s Eve seemed like the perfect application for our Active Noise Control system, and we have a few more ideas in progress as to how our everyday lives might benefit from a little Ford know-how.</i>”</span></blockquote><br />Just a prototype for now, the noise-cancelling kennel is the first in a series of initiatives – called Interventions – that applies automotive know-how to help solve everyday problems.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Kc9xzuWP5Q?rel=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTech">more technology stories</a>, or more <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordEdge">Ford Edge stories</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-52025082630492705782018-12-10T03:46:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:57.014-08:00Winter driving is snow joke!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSd-Y4wQ5UYQSHFJGLybQE8GbdrQhHRMwtasAnj07OsZyZa606cDr7FXNnzZKG7IyUKEo_28P8JYAJ6ef2v7VomFPkJiqd1RWE0SR9Hc-C90rxSVrgRAGJdDcBZQZrULgxgyrkqgLtDSY/s1600/WinterDriving.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSd-Y4wQ5UYQSHFJGLybQE8GbdrQhHRMwtasAnj07OsZyZa606cDr7FXNnzZKG7IyUKEo_28P8JYAJ6ef2v7VomFPkJiqd1RWE0SR9Hc-C90rxSVrgRAGJdDcBZQZrULgxgyrkqgLtDSY/s1600/WinterDriving.png" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Snow, ice, rain, darkness, wind and the blinding low sun; there’s little wonder that many drivers, no matter their level of experience, dislike driving in winter.<br /><br />In Britain, more than half of motorway fatalities happen at night in rain, snow or ice, and it’s a similar story for fatalities in built-up areas. Driving too quickly for the conditions is a key factor in all winter accidents, and something most common amongst younger, more inexperienced drivers. <br /><br />And did you know?: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A European Commission report states that a typical young driver is most likely to crash between 8pm and 2am on a Friday or Saturday night, where darkness is a factor </li><li>A European Road Safety Observatory report highlights inadequate planning is why most young drivers crash. It states a lack of all the required details or that the driver’s/rider’s ideas do not correspond to reality, are due to lack of experience </li><li>A higher number of pedestrians across Europe dying in incidents with vehicles between October and March than at any other time of the year </li></ul><br />Ford Europe's latest light-hearted animation can hopefully help remind drivers of any age of some winter driving hazards, with top tips below also worth keeping in mind before heading out this season.<br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>See and be seen</b>: clean your windows, headlights and rear lights so you can see and those around you can see you, especially when you’re braking </li><li><b>Slow down</b>: lower your speed and give yourself lots of room to stop. When roads are snowy or slippery every second counts </li><li><b>Don’t make a splash</b>: if roads are flooded and you’re sizing up a large puddle go slowly through it and keep your revs high in a low gear. Once the other side test your brakes </li><li><b>Use low gears</b>: more traction can be had on snow or slippery roads when in lower gears. If stuck on ice then a higher gear may help you to get some initial movement </li><li><b>Lighten up</b>: a lighter and smoother touch on throttles, brakes and steering helps prevent the car from going out of your control </li><li><b>Don’t panic</b>: if you do begin to skid on ice, snow or wet roads, gently steer into it. So, if the rear of the car is skidding left, then steer left and avoid hard braking</li></ul><br /><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lqYf_OWhyPU" width="800"></iframe> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://forddsfl.com/" target="_blank">Visit Ford DSFL</a>, or <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/DSFL">view more DSFL stories</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-56593136801335542292018-12-06T13:33:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:57.371-08:00Unmistakably Capri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORcflVBk-bC4WD0ihQeVaz8CB_y13pkTR4Y5H05Asq0aGUoFhA7sFZx9U8cNcg4HcU7OE2b-aotyv18bOGMyTnkFZ_7jO81AU6G73dwl6BCB94lJssN3SxcwTxDNpwXrLuGXp35xkx-U/s1600/Colt+project+design+S-8765-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1600" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORcflVBk-bC4WD0ihQeVaz8CB_y13pkTR4Y5H05Asq0aGUoFhA7sFZx9U8cNcg4HcU7OE2b-aotyv18bOGMyTnkFZ_7jO81AU6G73dwl6BCB94lJssN3SxcwTxDNpwXrLuGXp35xkx-U/s800/Colt+project+design+S-8765-1.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Unmistakably Capri, this Ford GBX design study from 1965 was the work of Ford senior designer Philip T. Clark, the man who was also responsible for the famous Mustang galloping pony emblem.<br /><br />Clark joined Ford’s special projects department in 1962 and had a leading role in the development of the mid-engine, two-seat Mustang I concept car that would prove to be the inspiration behind Ford’s GT-40 race car.<br /><br />Mr. J.J. Telnack, former Vice President of Corporate Design, for Ford Motor Company said, “Phil was one of our most talented designers and was part of the original Mustang design team throughout its development in 1962 until its launch. He had considerable influence on the total design with the early prototype Mustang concept vehicle that he [Clark] directed."<br /><br />Clark was transferred to Ford of England’s Research & Engineering Center in Dunton, Essex, in 1964 and began working on Project Colt – the name given to Capri during its development between 1964 and 1966.<br /><br />Code-named GBX, his drawings and clay models show nearly all the classical Capri hallmarks: a long hood, short rear deck, fastback pillars with notchback rear window, squared-off rear quarter, upswept front valence, dramatic side crease.<br /><br />In addition to the Mustang and Capri, Clark also is credited with crafting the exterior design of the Ford Transit and the Zodiac-Zephyr. A true Ford legend, Clark’s life was cut short when he passed away from kidney failure in 1968 at the age of just 32.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Heritage">More Ford heritage stories</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-30711073289024887982018-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:52:34.586-08:00Tech Book Face Off: Breaking Windows Vs. Showstopper!For this Tech Book Face Off, I felt like expanding my horizons a bit. Instead of reading about programming languages or software development or computer science and engineering, I thought I would take a look at some computer history from the business perspective. There are plenty of reading options out there in this space, but I settled on a couple of books about Microsoft. The first, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Windows-Fumbled-Future-Microsoft/dp/0743203151">Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft</a></i> by David Bank, is about Bill Gate's hardball business tactics that won him a monopoly in the PC desktop market, but then nearly destroyed the company in that fateful confrontation with the US Justice Department and caused him to miss the Internet and, later, the mobile revolution. The second, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generation-Microsoft-ebook/dp/B00J5X5E9U">Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft</a></i> by G. Pascal Zachary, has an even longer subtitle that neatly describes the book on its own. Both of these books were written quite a while ago, so let's see how their stories hold up today.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Windows-Fumbled-Future-Microsoft/dp/0743203151"><img alt="Breaking Windows front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiIkT4aHZ9ADwH9qCqAz5wOplXic2JsIyN9mtwejkX7xBwczvFinT9FJup3vleXd7hdSTbOnGSbJa-tNtNPzd_PX2ss6D9FItLFRFQki7yPC9NF2vB8Z2CIu29lOvUn7poxCnS7s2J6M/s1600/breaking_windows_cover.jpg" /></a></td><td style="padding: 30px;">VS.</td><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generation-Microsoft-ebook/dp/B00J5X5E9U"><img alt="Showstopper! front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkKFxoCeKIQ9_uMuqHTDR4KqZ7QFPr1JMfQYvhlu1BhbfkAtp6qYfcgudC0_vKRYAADlGjzDhvyTZcc4rDuc8nXQuv_64H2F10PfEOapJwBtg-0qyDmXSWjl6eg6mt647yfsJG7Q3OBM/s1600/showstopper_cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><a name='more'></a><br /><h4>Breaking Windows</h4><br />The narrative starts out with the backstory of how Gates came into his PC desktop monopoly by realizing that software—specifically the computer's operating system—would be an important and valuable part of the PC ecosystem. As PC hardware got cheaper and more prevalent, the software volumes would grow with the spread of the hardware, and at essentially zero marginal cost to Microsoft. All they needed to do was become the defacto standard OS. That's what Gates set out to do, and he succeeded with Windows 3.1 and then Windows 95. The bulk of the story takes place after Microsoft had achieved its monopoly and was deciding on strategies to defend it.<br /><br />One of the main strategies was to identify competitors that were creating software that was somewhat tangential to Windows or could be added as a compelling feature, and whose software was becoming popular enough to potentially pose a threat to Windows by becoming a new platform. Microsoft would then create their own version of that software and integrate it into Windows or otherwise absorb the other company's software, nullifying the threat to their monopoly.<br /><br />The most prominent example of this absorption strategy came with Internet Explorer and the browser wars between Microsoft and Netscape. Netscape Navigator started out with nearly the entire market of the World Wide Web before Microsoft got into the browser business. By the time Microsoft had revved up to IE 3.0, they had claimed a significant amount of market share from Netscape, and because of bundling IE with Windows and offering it for free to older versions of Windows, Netscape was doomed to lose in the long (or not-so-long) run.<br /><br />Everything was not all peaches and cream within Microsoft, though. There were two warring camps fighting for the soul of Microsoft. On one side was the Windows team led by Jim Allchin that was developing the next big thing: Windows NT. On the other side was the Internet Platform and Tools Division led by Brad Silverberg that wanted to leave Windows behind and try to capture as much of this new Internet frontier as possible, using IE as the platform. Gates would end up siding with Allchin and IE became a part of the Windows platform instead of growing into one of its own.<br /><br />It's almost comical seeing some of these disagreements today. One of the most important features of the IE platform that was integrated into Windows as an option was Active Desktop, but this feature seems so inconsequential today. Making the desktop background a web page was fraught with problems, and all that has survived is a way to enable single-click icons instead of the usual double-click to run a program. I don't think hardly anyone used it, especially after dealing with multiple desktop crashes. I remember it being a novelty for a while, but I soon stopped enabling it because it was so annoying and a double-click is so ingrained in my desktop usage.<br /><br />Of course, the disagreement with the Justice Department over Microsoft's monopoly was not so insignificant. Part of the reason their tactics got them into trouble was because IE was offered as a free upgrade for older versions of Windows that didn't have it or had older versions of IE. If Microsoft had truly made IE an integrated part of Windows and only released new versions of it with new versions of Windows, Microsoft's competitors wouldn't have had as strong of a case. Microsoft wouldn't have had as strong of a monopoly, either, because IE was getting new versions much faster than Windows was and people that didn't upgrade Windows were still getting free upgrades of IE.<br /><br />Even so, the government's eventual breakup proposal was preposterous. They wanted to force Microsoft to set prices for Windows versions with and without IE based on how many bytes each version was, like it was produce or meat or something. The government obviously had no understanding of what software really was, no idea how ridiculous that sounded, or what a good solution to the real problems of Microsoft's monopoly would actually look like. In the end that proposal was dropped, and the entire court case seemed to have done nothing more than give Microsoft a ton of bad press.<br /><br />In the mean time Gates had done plenty of other damage to Microsoft and Windows because of deciding to pursue these retrenchment strategies with the browser and other things related to the Internet. Bank makes the case that Gates should have pursued the Internet platform strategy in order to disrupt his own business and grab the larger market that was just coming to light, but I'm not so sure that would have worked, either. If he had done that, would he have been able to beat Google before they rose to the top, or would he have been able to foresee the coming of mobile and the smartphone before Apple took over with the iPhone? It's hard to imagine Microsoft getting all of that right and still being top dog today. (Although they're now doing quite well now under Satya Nadella.)<br /><br />There was so much more in this book, like the section on how XML came to be. (<i>Of course</i> bloated, complicated XML was created at Microsoft. In the book it was portrayed as a genius innovation by Adam Bosworth that would help Microsoft take over Internet data flows in spite of Gate's decisions. I'm so glad JSON has stopped that nonsense.) I could keep going, but it's all in the book. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane, covering plenty of things I had forgotten about that were a big deal at the time (remember the AOL shortcut bundled on the Windows Desktop). The book is decently written, if a bit confusing at times. Bank jumps around a lot, and there's no overarching timeline to the narrative. Regardless, it gives great insights into what was happening at Microsoft through all of the turmoil in its history and is well worth the quick read.<br /><br /><h4>Showstopper!</h4><br />As the subtitle describes, <i>Showstopper!</i> is the story of how the first version of Windows NT was conceived and built. It makes for quite an engaging story, as the NT team was arranged within Microsoft in a unique way for the company. Instead of being a department that reported to and was directly overseen by Bill Gates, the team was more of a startup company within Microsoft that operated fairly independently and was left more or less to its own devices. Gates did check in and imposed some of his own requirements from time to time, but not anything like other departments within Microsoft.<br /><br />One of the main reasons for this independence was the force of nature that was Dave Cutler, the chief architect and director of Windows NT. Cutler was aggressive and expected incredible things from his team, and he did not get along well with Gates, either. Gates had hired him when Cutler had left Digital Equipment Corp. and respected and trusted him enough to let Cutler run things as he saw fit, so Gates pretty much left him alone.<br /><br />Cutler had brought along a number of programmers from his team at Digital to be the core of the NT team, and as he took on more Microsoft employees to build out the team, a rivalry emerged between the two groups:<br /><div><blockquote class="tr_bq">The Digital defectors also were more methodical about their jobs, hewing to textbook engineering practices in contrast to the Microsofties, who often approached a problem helter-skelter. Cutler’s people took work seriously, while Microsofties sometimes tossed nerf balls in the hallways or strummed guitars in their offices. The differences in style were apparent to Cutler’s people, who derisively referred to Microsoft as “Microslop.” By the same token, Microsofties were put off by the clannishness of Cutler’s gang.</blockquote>Regardless of these divisions, work got done and NT progressed through big scope changes and constant feature creep. Throughout the project Cutler never really trusted or approved of the graphics team. He had always been a terminal kind of guy and didn't see the need for a GUI, and he did not agree with the graphics team's much more laid back approach to software development. The graphics team was dealing with their own internal issues as well, having chosen a new, immature programming language to write the GUI: C++. While it was a new language at the time and the supporting tools were rough and unstable, G. Pascal Zachary's assessment of the language seems a little off:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">While it was portable, however, C was difficult to master and gave a programmer a great deal of latitude, which increased the likelihood of coding errors. A more inspired choice—a gambler’s choice—was C++, a newer language that was all the rage among software theorists. By preventing code writers from making mistakes, C++ promised faster results and greater consistency, which would benefit programs that were the work of many people.</blockquote>C++ is hardly easier to master than C! With C++ being a superset of C, C is most certainly the simpler language. While it may be true that C++ can support larger projects, it is also quite easy to make C++ programs much more complicated than C. These kinds of off-the-cuff assessments were fairly common in the book, and they made it seem like Zachary was either over-simplifying things or he didn't fully appreciate the technical aspects of these topics. This tendency to over-simplify was especially apparent whenever he was discussing features of NT. The discussions nearly always dealt in generalities, and it was difficult to figure out which features, exactly, he was talking about. He would mention that features were missing from NT or that programmers were adding features on their own whims without specifying what those features actually were. Not knowing what he was referring to became quite frustrating at times.<br /><br />Even with the occasional vagueness, other discussions were satisfyingly to the point, like whenever the client-server architecture of NT came up:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Time and again, Cutler had hoped to dispel doubts about client-server. In his design, the kernel code treated the entire graphical portion of the operating system, including the Windows personality, as an application. It was a classic design choice. Client-server ensured reliability but degraded performance. It was probably Cutler’s most momentous decision.</blockquote>The performance hit incurred with the client-server model was a constant issue during the development of NT, and it wasn't until near the end of the project, and after a year delay, that the performance was brought under control and near parity with Windows 3.1. The story of how Cutler's team achieved the necessary performance while fixing the innumerable bugs as NT came closer and closer to release was one of the best threads of the book.<br /><br />The book is also riddled with pieces of advice on software development, most often in the form of little narratives about different aspects of the project and a vast array of the programmers and testers that worked on it. Things like adding programmers to a late project makes it later, working longer hours is counterproductive, first make it right then make it fast, the number of bugs in a system is unknowable, and automated testing and stress tests improve code quality all appeared at various points in the story. It was enjoyable to see all of these hard-won nuggets of wisdom come up and be acknowledged during the course of such a high-profile project.<br /><br />Sometimes the words of wisdom were quite humorous, too. At one point Cutler had written an email that included this gem: "If you don’t put [bugs] in, you don’t have to find them and take them out!” Well, yes, that's great. If only it were that easy! Of course he was trying to encourage his programmers to be more diligent and rigorous, but what a way to say it.<br /><br />Throughout the book, new people were continuously introduced, each with their own mini-narratives told within the larger context of the NT project. It was nice to learn about so many different people that had a hand in the project, and there were dozens of stories related of the approximately 250 people that helped NT over the finish line, but it became exhausting to keep track of everyone as the names kept piling on. The number of people became pretty overwhelming even though only a small fraction of them made it into the book.<br /><br />The scope and accomplishment that is Windows NT is quite astounding. Nothing like it had ever been done before, and the scale of the project was beyond anything achieved in software development up to that point. The scale of development wouldn't be surpassed until Windows 2000, seven years later. Even with the rough edges and occasional frustrations, the story of how NT was built was a fascinating and entertaining read. I would definitely recommend giving it a read if you're at all interested in how Microsoft managed to revolutionize its Windows operating system.</div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-15566650077377538342018-11-29T07:28:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:57.728-08:00Ford's Big City Data<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-large;">How big data could help make cities safer.</span><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2NUENwO7Z7yrOHiiGSda5AwFRKLv8czsDmFz-1FHW7_9Sg17kjWYU_yspdt26WxgmlZd5EZ2iqe_C3Fvku3PB41Q6oo5tW97DyHmatz5DqCDNxWy6BGrgP-abFv-5snJ4r6TuRsj3mg/s1600/CityDataSolutions.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2NUENwO7Z7yrOHiiGSda5AwFRKLv8czsDmFz-1FHW7_9Sg17kjWYU_yspdt26WxgmlZd5EZ2iqe_C3Fvku3PB41Q6oo5tW97DyHmatz5DqCDNxWy6BGrgP-abFv-5snJ4r6TuRsj3mg/s800/CityDataSolutions.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br />It is often only after accidents have occurred that particular junctions or stretches of road are identified as problematic for drivers, cyclists or pedestrians.<br /><br />Ford has come up with a means by which big data could potentially help cities identify locations which, if nothing is done, are most likely to be the scene of future traffic incidents.<br /><br />To help find the answer, Ford spent the last year recording 1 million kilometres of vehicle and driver behaviour in and around London.<br /><br />Ford tracked vehicle journeys in the city and logged highly detailed driving data from driving events such as braking, the severity of that braking, and even where hazard warning lights were applied. This helped to identify “near-misses”.<br /><br />Ford then cross-referenced this information against existing accident reports and built an algorithm to determine the likelihood of where future incidents might occur. <br /><br />Jon Scott, project lead at City Data Solutions, for our Ford Smart Mobility team.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>Our insights have the potential to benefit millions of people. Even very small changes could make a big difference – maybe cutting back a tree that has obscured a road sign – whether in terms of traffic flow, road safety or efficiency.</i>”</span> </blockquote><br />This idea is just one opportunity identified in the <b><a href="http://citydatareport.fordmedia.eu/" target="_blank">Ford City Data Report</a></b> that was launched today at the Financial Times Future of Transport conference in London. The report, using data that was obtained and analysed with the consent of participants, took its findings from more than 15,000 days of vehicle use, from 160 connected vans in the city.<br /><br />The fleet of vans covered more than 1 million kilometres, the equivalent of 20 times around the earth, and delivered 500 million data points.<br /><br />Ford are committed to delivering smart vehicles for a smart world – and each vehicle in the study was equipped with a simple plug-in device that recorded the journey data and then sent it to the cloud for analysis.<br /><br />Data scientists from our Global Data Insight and Analytics team were then able to analyse the information through an interactive dashboard. This technology could be applied in any road environment, not just in cities.<br /><br />The report also investigated other opportunities, such as how scheduling delivery van journeys for earlier in the day, before peak times, could benefit all road users, and how using journey data could help to identify the best locations for electric vehicle charging points.<br /><br />Sarah-Jayne Williams, director, Ford Smart Mobility.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>The Ford City Data Report is a showcase of what we can do with connected vehicle data, smart infrastructure, and our analytical capabilities. We are calling on cities to work with us to collectively solve problems that they can become even better places to live and work in.</i>”</span></blockquote><div>Ford understands that any data-driven solution depends upon the willingness of drivers to share their data, but believes that where there is a clear benefit, that consumers will be more open to supporting such a service.</div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLSDdJ-bq9Y19pJTjiUFng7zJn0pRyA8JW" width="800"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTech">Read more Ford technology articles</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-60411501929021725942018-11-29T03:20:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:58.086-08:00Did you know Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a Ford at heart?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEb2O3YuL0nEMULBax-qq3adpewenB1F4tLX04fMFx2UtusAD5U-DZa1PlBSv8wVIjyV0qYSZDEUHX-i8XYzbD9WgRVT_RKHPJZG_QfSfYdG4Tq_7BI3m0SqM_ZqGABFipTEKV-KekL4/s1600/1968-430+C.+Bang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1200" height="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEb2O3YuL0nEMULBax-qq3adpewenB1F4tLX04fMFx2UtusAD5U-DZa1PlBSv8wVIjyV0qYSZDEUHX-i8XYzbD9WgRVT_RKHPJZG_QfSfYdG4Tq_7BI3m0SqM_ZqGABFipTEKV-KekL4/s800/1968-430+C.+Bang.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><a name='more'></a>It is one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable cars to ever grace the big screen, but did you know that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a Ford at heart?<br /><br />This unique vehicle was designed by Ken Adam to look like a pre-war car and was actually built by the Ford Racing Team in 1967.<br /><br />Weighing 2 tons and measuring 17 feet long, Chitty was built on a custom made ladder frame chassis and ran on wheels moulded in alloy to replicate the timber wheels typical of the 1920s.<br /><br />The car’s deck was fabricated from red and white cedar, while the alloy dashboard plate was borrowed from a British World War I fighter plane. Under the long, polished aluminium bonnet was a 3.0-litre Ford V6 engine.<br /><br />Chitty was registered in the UK with the number plate GEN 11, given to her by Ian Fleming, who wrote the novel the film was based on. The registration spells the Latin word "genii", meaning magical person or being.<br /><br />In the film, which debuted exactly 50 years ago, Chitty is driven by Dick Van Dyke, who plays an eccentric inventor who takes his children on the adventure of a lifetime.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Heritage">Read more Ford heritage stories</a> ...</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-54513379194557384622018-11-22T05:37:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:58.442-08:00Some Ford Performance smiles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KWEIQ2YpI31dg8930oTvZHKqthokUuEa2bi49HoY2lV8FJ7zqUZBcAie0h8QMIkB-Q1AXFSZTJs7Brl0FGQp3IFvT9pGvhHE0-nh-K8YbHVrUJjtprYyFBB6M9CsdluZpozbuUsn1oQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-11-22+at+13.28.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KWEIQ2YpI31dg8930oTvZHKqthokUuEa2bi49HoY2lV8FJ7zqUZBcAie0h8QMIkB-Q1AXFSZTJs7Brl0FGQp3IFvT9pGvhHE0-nh-K8YbHVrUJjtprYyFBB6M9CsdluZpozbuUsn1oQ/s800/Screen+Shot+2018-11-22+at+13.28.09.png" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />We all need a little bit of fun now and again. Watch these faces light up thanks to some Ford performance.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uT221Ethlsc?end=160&rel=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">More Ford Fun</a>, <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Performance">more Ford Performance</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-79015272547160871072018-11-22T03:50:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:58.799-08:00Are you a sleep derived zombie at the wheel?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaCpN6lbH3YZ0U4FIzeMHQ_n_8Nm4GRSz9neffs1kb86db_fh_hTjJqCABCaq-abimo5fXpQ-o_YgMM_904O6ZppdJ-dVCalIH2bNU7ooo5Tnt0XkLoFvKHR8927Ww6nRclmEc111z18/s1600/SS-hero.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1600" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaCpN6lbH3YZ0U4FIzeMHQ_n_8Nm4GRSz9neffs1kb86db_fh_hTjJqCABCaq-abimo5fXpQ-o_YgMM_904O6ZppdJ-dVCalIH2bNU7ooo5Tnt0XkLoFvKHR8927Ww6nRclmEc111z18/s800/SS-hero.png" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />See a friend reach for the car keys after a boozy night out and many of us will speak out or persuade them to hand over the keys. But how if they insist on driving tired?<br /><br />Fatigue is a major factor in up to 1 in 5 road crashes and according to experts, remaining awake for periods in excess of 18 hours can impair abilities to a degree that is comparable to exceeding the drink drive limit in many countries.<br /><br />Ford Europe commissioned the creation of a “Sleep Suit” that enables wearers to experience the debilitating effect that tiredness can have. Transport accidents are the leading cause of death among young people, and we will integrate training with the suit into <a href="https://forddsfl.com/" target="_blank">Driving Skills for Life</a> (DSFL) our free young driver training programme for 17- to 24-year-olds.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yDBFpZWoxCvSzrRW7uLttRrjpIvRS4UNpDexq7NI8R3OPFkvdEH8bxubDlXy60Dqdt97pBJFOo1qSXPVdmn5AHqvgbBIdQoisBVTnQUUbK-vgeqIeewfx9U8pXGmGrGZ0UPwLndzTH0/s1600/INFOGRAPHIC_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1600" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yDBFpZWoxCvSzrRW7uLttRrjpIvRS4UNpDexq7NI8R3OPFkvdEH8bxubDlXy60Dqdt97pBJFOo1qSXPVdmn5AHqvgbBIdQoisBVTnQUUbK-vgeqIeewfx9U8pXGmGrGZ0UPwLndzTH0/s800/INFOGRAPHIC_1.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />Dr Gundolf Meyer-Hentschel, CEO, Meyer-Hentschel Institute, who developed the “Sleep Suit”.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>Drive when you’re tired and you risk driving like a zombie – becoming a danger to yourself, your passengers and everyone on the road around you. Young adults very often subject themselves to ‘intentional sleep deprivation’ – forcing themselves to stay awake so that they can juggle the demands of busy social lives, long working hours and studying for exams.</i>”</span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX2dp_JA91wrgAD5eDIv6uuZOj0r4etVhNUUi6PJo5rY4ZsrPTc0BvWyVeh7tGWZVnf6vd4FklhZvEAwelW7RynxlP4mEExEYy59NHPx6PyohkQSOBGpJm-cCJM2zHTvtNwFIZQd8J60/s1600/INFOGRAPHIC_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1600" height="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX2dp_JA91wrgAD5eDIv6uuZOj0r4etVhNUUi6PJo5rY4ZsrPTc0BvWyVeh7tGWZVnf6vd4FklhZvEAwelW7RynxlP4mEExEYy59NHPx6PyohkQSOBGpJm-cCJM2zHTvtNwFIZQd8J60/s900/INFOGRAPHIC_2.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />The suit partly consists of special goggles that simulate extreme exhaustion, including microsleeps – an uncontrollable response to tiredness. Microsleeps can result in those behind the wheel driving blind for 10 seconds or more, sometime with their eyes still open, during which time they may have covered hundreds of metres. There may be no recollection afterwards that this has happened.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsloF4sLShpasr7FWUy0kMxnuWJQx0njtIE8vA8-UW05fDarsggF_rfo8tOBCW83VD_L3rMGsQjhJ1OJQwfz6VtycbfPnPZlwGjGYerxhG3FGgL_wPwDMTPJ883hd3klalfS4mpON2wao/s1600/INFOGRAPHIC_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1377" height="930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsloF4sLShpasr7FWUy0kMxnuWJQx0njtIE8vA8-UW05fDarsggF_rfo8tOBCW83VD_L3rMGsQjhJ1OJQwfz6VtycbfPnPZlwGjGYerxhG3FGgL_wPwDMTPJ883hd3klalfS4mpON2wao/s800/INFOGRAPHIC_3.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />Connected to a smartphone app, the goggles can be set to simulate the brain shutting down and the driver effectively seeing nothing ahead of them for half a second, then for increasingly longer periods, up to 10 seconds. Worn together with a specially designed cap, vest, arm and ankle bands – with a combined weight of more than 18 kilogrammes – the overall effect offers an insight into the degree to which tired drivers are impaired. In the US, most drowsy driving crashes are caused by under-25s.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybYmra5sJLJ668hBXWGQbpa9Q_YWiaEbtlX9n95-_06Hv6LrfQ-iSARZHMuDhwYAZrbeA8XaWR2iNk2YqLD7IId12Qb7fGoC8gT9L7t-ayHwpKSYRaJn4x61lYSAWtos1qTGOgwYWSs/s1600/INFOGRAPHIC_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybYmra5sJLJ668hBXWGQbpa9Q_YWiaEbtlX9n95-_06Hv6LrfQ-iSARZHMuDhwYAZrbeA8XaWR2iNk2YqLD7IId12Qb7fGoC8gT9L7t-ayHwpKSYRaJn4x61lYSAWtos1qTGOgwYWSs/s800/INFOGRAPHIC_4.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />DSFL Manager, Jim Graham.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>We were determined to raise awareness of drowsy driving and the ‘Sleep Suit” is the perfect way to demonstrate this. Many people have been thankful that a friend or family member has volunteered to be the designated driver on a night out. But just because they haven’t been drinking doesn’t mean that they are safe to drive if, for example, they are exhausted after staying up all night</i>.”</span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8U34mCFCSQ-7VHFUeqRWA1Yboth8oLa4qKnBPeQ2glDcikhkwjx7btNLr5912WAh7gKkUf10sk8_olDgbV9IfyNhQG8EcKEc7J9tuIzLG4K5aiIcr57JZLsAMynx7YcPFM-g3bJgJIA/s1600/SS-Collage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1600" height="723" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8U34mCFCSQ-7VHFUeqRWA1Yboth8oLa4qKnBPeQ2glDcikhkwjx7btNLr5912WAh7gKkUf10sk8_olDgbV9IfyNhQG8EcKEc7J9tuIzLG4K5aiIcr57JZLsAMynx7YcPFM-g3bJgJIA/s800/SS-Collage.png" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />So, what should you do if think that you may be too tired to drive? According to Dr Gundolf Meyer-Hentschel, the best course of action is as follows:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pull over as soon as it is safe to do so.</li><li>Consume a caffeinated drink and nap for 20 minutes.</li><li>Wake up refreshed and ready to hit the road again.</li></ul>(If not, then it is probably time to find another way home or to your destination.)<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yViOeBLgyPI" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://forddsfl.com/" target="_blank">Driving Skills for Life</a> - <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Lifestyle">More lifestyle stories</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-13748757411791634892018-11-22T02:51:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:59.158-08:00Is this 2018's Ultimate Rally Save?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsjnnvE8XhfZvBQdK7nTmizie3AIjQNlC80AX3Hv_IlMgwL-zlTCqxIS4PlxDQWWAfdISGdta2xPCzmVkm3K3QTZopKuxXUbdZfjPs5eSlYA0m6UFOfGhwaOFEyx8qhGX3Gxvj40jWMo/s1600/TeemuSuninen_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsjnnvE8XhfZvBQdK7nTmizie3AIjQNlC80AX3Hv_IlMgwL-zlTCqxIS4PlxDQWWAfdISGdta2xPCzmVkm3K3QTZopKuxXUbdZfjPs5eSlYA0m6UFOfGhwaOFEyx8qhGX3Gxvj40jWMo/s1600/TeemuSuninen_800.jpg" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Rally drivers are used to getting sideways, but M-Sport Ford’s <a href="https://g.co/kgs/3SuFmh" target="_blank">Teemu Suninen</a> defied the laws of physics with this hair-raising ditch excursion on Neste Rally Finland. <br /><br />When the 24 year-old overcooked it on a fast left-hander all seemed lost, but somehow he managed to wrestle his <b><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/01/ford-extends-its-commitment-to-wrc.html">Fiesta WRC</a></b> back on track and went on to finish the event in sixth place.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e1545fgFSVc" width="800"></iframe><br /><br />Now his incredible save has been shortlisted for the annual FIA Action of the Year Award, and you can help him clinch the top prize. To show your support for Suninen, go to the <a href="https://www.fia.com/actionoftheyear" target="_blank">FIA Action of the Year</a> website to vote. Entries close at midnight on November 27, and the winner will be announced on December 7.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFiesta">See more Ford Fiesta stories</a>, or the <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/01/ford-extends-its-commitment-to-wrc.html">Fiesta WRC</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-77736103960740471962018-11-22T01:57:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:59.514-08:00Ford Focus Active<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix47y6oQJz9vaAnQklpp0ajXv16Ja64LM6qpWPMgFjEFM7CGooa0EIgu26K-nUP50li9sbWB2rKTuKy8jt07H2NL3GG2x6UmlJoD8dxTWmE2hcq3dIx-5rRgZxtcX7g5atQPsof51GdsA/s1600/C519_19MY_ACTIVE_WAGON_Extras1_RT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="487" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix47y6oQJz9vaAnQklpp0ajXv16Ja64LM6qpWPMgFjEFM7CGooa0EIgu26K-nUP50li9sbWB2rKTuKy8jt07H2NL3GG2x6UmlJoD8dxTWmE2hcq3dIx-5rRgZxtcX7g5atQPsof51GdsA/s800/C519_19MY_ACTIVE_WAGON_Extras1_RT2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a>The all-new Ford Focus Active crossover introduces SUV-inspired versatility to the confidence-inspiring, intuitive, and rewarding all-new Focus driving experience.<br /><br />Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service. Ford of Europe.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>Ford SUV sales grew more than 19 per cent in October year over year, and SUVs now account for more than one in five Ford vehicles sold in Europe. Our Active family of crossover models offers a further compelling SUV-style option for customers. The all-new Focus Active does more than just look the part – its bespoke chassis and new Selectable Drive Mode options deliver genuine rough-road capability for families who want to explore off the beaten track.</i>”</span></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkbH2VRrIyIvtOgoKMjaSx_6QYpWkRaVsJHJHu4KzgO2Z2cb2QT1SzPK664-kBoGwxVqOpMRMcRftiY-dFaUiBbw_sbR4xBV3AIMF1jaER7Td-XEqplTIExj1m_dzYldpz02yoZDy-wg/s1600/Collage_Focus_ACTIVE_WAGON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="1600" height="775" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkbH2VRrIyIvtOgoKMjaSx_6QYpWkRaVsJHJHu4KzgO2Z2cb2QT1SzPK664-kBoGwxVqOpMRMcRftiY-dFaUiBbw_sbR4xBV3AIMF1jaER7Td-XEqplTIExj1m_dzYldpz02yoZDy-wg/s800/Collage_Focus_ACTIVE_WAGON.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />The all-new Focus Active is the third in Ford’s new family of Active crossover models, following the introduction of the all-new <b><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2016/12/next-generation-fiesta-active.html">Fiesta Active</a></b> and new KA+ Active models earlier this year.<br /><br />Available in spacious five-door hatchback and wagon body styles with rugged exterior styling, the Focus Active features raised ride-height and a bespoke chassis configuration to retain class-leading Focus driving dynamics while delivering enhanced rough-road ability and a higher driving position for more confident urban and highway driving.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOTaaaKlPn1F8k95s6-T9ysTBRN03TLCeSdPs-ukBJn51RH_42aepIzr98_9-sInzK5nCgR49UHXvYc5Bw5xm-psgfb5R95monwaxwYCX85CyRt9c0Mk-uDcygY_HsgiiwdFrDT6aVbo/s1600/C519_19MY_ACTIVE_WAGON_1276_Shot_02_4785_01b_RGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="1600" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOTaaaKlPn1F8k95s6-T9ysTBRN03TLCeSdPs-ukBJn51RH_42aepIzr98_9-sInzK5nCgR49UHXvYc5Bw5xm-psgfb5R95monwaxwYCX85CyRt9c0Mk-uDcygY_HsgiiwdFrDT6aVbo/s800/C519_19MY_ACTIVE_WAGON_1276_Shot_02_4785_01b_RGB.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><h3>Rough road-capable. Fun to drive</h3><br />For improved rough road ride and durability, 17-inch alloy wheels are fitted with higher-profile 215/55 R17 tyres; 18-inch wheels with 215/50 R18 tyres are also available. In addition to the Normal, Sport and Eco Selectable Drive Modes equipped as standard for all Focus models, the Focus Active introduces:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-slippery-are-autumn-leaves.html">Slippery mode</a>, which adjusts ESC and traction control settings for increased confidence on surfaces with reduced grip such as mud, snow and ice; reduces straight-ahead wheel spin, including when pulling away from stationary; and delivers a more passive throttle response</li><li>Trail mode, which helps maintain momentum on soft surfaces such as sand; adjusts anti-lock braking to allow greater wheel slip; configures traction control to allow higher wheel spin that cleans sand, snow or mud from the tyres; and delivers a more passive throttle response</li></ul><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Y839eIJAPc" width="800"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFocus">Read more Ford Focus stories</a>, or <a href="https://ford.to/FordFocus" target="_blank">explore Focus</a>.</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-21747209267911148352018-11-22T00:44:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:43:59.873-08:00 Remembering Freddie Ford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ZfVci6dwxfiq8K2R6tFapSMpW2r7NAqamr6G6I1RXPkMKb0AFOugbCpmlgErSLbgUCW1IIbaSESGeN6GF8tzcs0UpOuckf87Dz4P70iJ4WqhtHsPPdIFxV1LYcQ5j4CE5pAf9_uf2c/s1600/1967+Freddie+Ford+the+robot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1236" height="1036" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8ZfVci6dwxfiq8K2R6tFapSMpW2r7NAqamr6G6I1RXPkMKb0AFOugbCpmlgErSLbgUCW1IIbaSESGeN6GF8tzcs0UpOuckf87Dz4P70iJ4WqhtHsPPdIFxV1LYcQ5j4CE5pAf9_uf2c/s800/1967+Freddie+Ford+the+robot.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />For #EuropeanRoboticsWeek we’re remembering Freddie Ford, a talking robot used at events in the 1960s. During one such event he was programmed to endlessly repeat the phrase: “<i>People love Mustangs, Mustangs love people, make a date with a Mustang, put romance in your life.</i>"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Made almost entirely out of car parts, Freddie stood nine feet high and weighed more than 360 kg, while his chest was 126-inces, and waist 120-inches. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He had oil pans for feet and brake shoes for hands. His ears were made of radiator caps with car antennas attached. His eyes were parking lights from a Ford Mustang, while his mouth was a reversing light from a Ford Thunderbird. His arms were exhaust pipes and his legs were shock absorbers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Freddie was used to help Ford sell cars at car shows from 1967. He was no C3PO, but he could answer a dozen questions in front of an audience. Unsurprisingly, most of his answers contained corny jokes and spoke glowingly of Ford products.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Here are a few of Freddie’s exchanges with fair goers as recorded in a Ford press release:</h3></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b><b>Question</b>: “<i>What does it mean to ‘Walk softly and carry a big stick’?’</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Freddie</b>: “<i>The quotation is really, ‘Drive softly and carry a big six’.</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Question</b>: “<i>Why do you have disc brakes for hands?</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Freddie</b>: “<i>They grip faster and better and 55 percent easier than manual brakes. For 1970, power front disc brakes are available on all models and standard on some.</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Question</b>: “<i>Are those oil pans really your feet?</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Freddie</b>: “<i>Yes, sir, these are 390 V-8 oil pans from the biggest V-8 that uses only regular gas. And remember… oil changes are only needed every six months or 6,000 miles.</i>”</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Heritage">more Ford heritage stories</a>, or <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Fun">more Ford fun</a>!</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-30697496407839392942018-11-21T06:45:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:44:00.288-08:00How slippery are Autumn leaves?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRpUGopUaU3bVyKdimPFgoMzeJxdjBELU27qK9ZlFzLXqc2e1MI_zHZDU3slQHceBwpcldtuDk5VK-iNJADrY26wMNz4CG_9PjJ5o1LZAbsr-fjdyFJIrQFRZnjYuoHpJ0G377Gnt5AM/s1600/leaves.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRpUGopUaU3bVyKdimPFgoMzeJxdjBELU27qK9ZlFzLXqc2e1MI_zHZDU3slQHceBwpcldtuDk5VK-iNJADrY26wMNz4CG_9PjJ5o1LZAbsr-fjdyFJIrQFRZnjYuoHpJ0G377Gnt5AM/s800/leaves.png" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They may be a crucial ingredient in creating the stunning autumnal landscapes so beloved by photographers, but in certain situations leaves can present a significant danger to drivers.<br /><br />Those in the know have long compared the effect to driving on snow.<br /><br />But could the humble leaf really be as slippery as the white stuff? Ford engineers have come up with an answer – after conducting a unique experiment in order to find out.<br /><br />Getting the data for the snow was the easy part. This was sourced from vehicle testing in snowy Scandinavian locations. But there was no research to show how slippery leaves were.<br /><br />To fix that, the team gathered bags of leaves and used them to cover the test track at our proving ground in Belgium. They then called in the help of a friction-testing device that identifies how slippery surfaces are by rolling over them.<br /><br />After testing they did indeed find that, in certain situations, the leaves were as slippery as snow.<br /><br />Eddy Kasteel, development engineer.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“<i>It was fun to conduct the experiment but there was a serious point. Most people know to slow down and drive more cautiously for snow. But far fewer of us give the same respect to roads covered in leaves – that can be just as slippery.</i>”</span></blockquote><br />Slipperiness is measured in units named after the Greek letter µ (or Mu). The more slippery the surface the lower the number. In testing, and at their most slippery, the leaves measured a µ level between 0.3 and 0.4. Typically, the same µ levels observed on snow surfaces<br /><br />The same engineers helped to develop “Slippery Mode” for the new <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/04/all-new-ford-focus-cleverest-family-car.html">Ford Focus</a> Active crossover that goes on sale next month.<br /><br />Available in spacious five-door hatchback and wagon body styles with rugged exterior styling, the Focus Active has enhanced rough-road ability with a higher driving position.<br /><br />Designed to improve traction on surfaces including ice, snow and wet leaves, “Slippery Mode” makes rapid readjustments to stability systems, acceleration and braking to help prevent the car from skidding, swerving or deviating from its intended path.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_E90_98gbno" width="800"></iframe> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFocus">See more Ford Focus stories</a>, or <a href="https://ford.to/FordFocus" target="_blank">discover Focus</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-44580397666063471882018-11-15T09:04:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:44:00.643-08:00A dummy’s guide to crash tests with the ford Focus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ktlxn2XINNhK5wu3OLXv1DB8mbua1EcQEyPtcATlijn3uhCAIk-kaKCFSk1iAVm9RRXcCdMZgsoEkJGn0mbqNfyqO3c9jl7tyP6NpvaLNO1_HpvLrkVVs9DN5LY9yt2tpFcE3lVATrQ/s1600/Focus-Crash-Hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1600" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ktlxn2XINNhK5wu3OLXv1DB8mbua1EcQEyPtcATlijn3uhCAIk-kaKCFSk1iAVm9RRXcCdMZgsoEkJGn0mbqNfyqO3c9jl7tyP6NpvaLNO1_HpvLrkVVs9DN5LY9yt2tpFcE3lVATrQ/s800/Focus-Crash-Hero.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />Ever wondered what crash testing looked like – from a dummy’s perspective?<br /><br />That’s how Ford decided to showcase their new £13.75 million “sled test” facility.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b1v-eQuw-lV1cfaDHe2LGDZ6gixAy0c-dpue5pK3ZGg799XpJAq_uMDt5arbEOHzcaAMh-nhbi3bhih-xJ8FDdLUT-jfk8Zx0ZudtNLuqLmYslUaM1oJidcnPSP_SFpxSMoUc2k2SRE/s1600/_DSC1385-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-b1v-eQuw-lV1cfaDHe2LGDZ6gixAy0c-dpue5pK3ZGg799XpJAq_uMDt5arbEOHzcaAMh-nhbi3bhih-xJ8FDdLUT-jfk8Zx0ZudtNLuqLmYslUaM1oJidcnPSP_SFpxSMoUc2k2SRE/s800/_DSC1385-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />Bridging the gap between full-scale crash tests and virtual crash tests, sled tests subject vehicles – and the dummies inside them – to the same accelerations experienced in real-world road accidents.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU02eu3dZyLWdcutkMKWILI7hFEOajOiziFDBTDBxyyNr_hZyGQOlDAQRlJuWU_4IS68eNbieAGr536woWXtHV3K-2nDgWaFzU6qyQ4rIs838pf22JKeB0ARFUNckO2FilRINnkXOv7U/s1600/_DSC1440-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU02eu3dZyLWdcutkMKWILI7hFEOajOiziFDBTDBxyyNr_hZyGQOlDAQRlJuWU_4IS68eNbieAGr536woWXtHV3K-2nDgWaFzU6qyQ4rIs838pf22JKeB0ARFUNckO2FilRINnkXOv7U/s800/_DSC1440-COLLAGE.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br />Video cameras record up to 1,000 frames per second that engineers can then scrutinise the effects for improvements.<br /><br />The new <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/04/all-new-ford-focus-cleverest-family-car.html">Ford Focus</a> was the first car to be developed using the new facility and has a <a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/2018/07/all-new-ford-focus-euro-ncap-crash-tests.html">maximum 5-star safety rating</a> from the Euro NCAP independent crash testing authority.<br /><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4oAQe42O3eg" width="800"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordFocus">See more Focus stories</a> or <a href="https://ford.to/FordFocus" target="_blank">find out more about the Ford Focus</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-25171093153254071812018-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:44:00.999-08:00The Ford Sierra - A look back at Ford's jelly mould car<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUblEww_kDxj5pnw4P2QvSQ4E6rT4E-RM6b-KxP_kB4U6jJ210YVOEIVEgc0NJiV3VLbXmyrYJ17ZhthQtoBZvjrIgqzPny0AMg5t4KiDWKr8sfKArHBeZlct2WbwoS2UzU3gQ2NL9N24/s1600/1983-Ford-Sierra-XR-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="1600" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUblEww_kDxj5pnw4P2QvSQ4E6rT4E-RM6b-KxP_kB4U6jJ210YVOEIVEgc0NJiV3VLbXmyrYJ17ZhthQtoBZvjrIgqzPny0AMg5t4KiDWKr8sfKArHBeZlct2WbwoS2UzU3gQ2NL9N24/s800/1983-Ford-Sierra-XR-4.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The sleek Ford Sierra was ahead of its time. Nicknamed the jelly mould car, at the time of its launch its aerodynamic design returned a drag coefficient of 0.34, which was only been beaten by the Porsche 924 and Citroen GS. The Sierra XR4i variant dropped that down even further, to 0.32.<br /><br />In the late 70s, Ford of Europe was working on a new mid-sized car to replace the Taunus and Cortina models. Working under the codename Project Toni, the then chairman of Ford of Europe Bob Lutz, commissioned designers Uwe Bahnsen – responsible for the Capri Mk I and Mk II and the Escort Mk III – and French designer, Patrick le Quément to investigate the possibilities.<br /><br />What they came up with was a polarising design, which would prove to be way ahead of its time. Despite the jelly mould design being a slow burner, Sierra still managed nearly 160,000 sales in Britain in 1982, outsold only by the smaller Ford Escort.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Heritage">See more Ford heritage stories</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-15628365688980149692018-11-14T03:30:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:44:01.354-08:00Ford Transit - a supervan: hashtag VanLife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOfG3ry1m19vvYkVP2yIt6BmA2QuBdzgCYjgVeYPpZMYhltGSKSaITzZZBQo89AxFWN7ld2xYrP0Z1FvqtsUDUdzglUdoP8-jneUbayfyRrnxkynI3LpA8ZmvgjN7jeSzn7I7FCYTAhE/s1600/TRANSIT-THUMB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOfG3ry1m19vvYkVP2yIt6BmA2QuBdzgCYjgVeYPpZMYhltGSKSaITzZZBQo89AxFWN7ld2xYrP0Z1FvqtsUDUdzglUdoP8-jneUbayfyRrnxkynI3LpA8ZmvgjN7jeSzn7I7FCYTAhE/s800/TRANSIT-THUMB.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Jeff+Glucker%22" target="_blank">Jeff Glucker</a> gives his take on the Ford Transit.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><b>Note</b>: the 3.5 V6 EcoBoost engine option is <b>not available in Europe</b>.</div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b41VAJJ7vKU?end=487&rel=0" width="800"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/FordTransit">more Transit stories</a>, or <a href="http://fordeurope.blogspot.com/search/label/Lifestyle">more lifestyle stories</a>.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="g-follow" data-annotation="bubble" data-height="20" data-href="//plus.google.com/u/0/117195985130161924634" data-rel="publisher"></div><a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-screen-name="false" data-size="medium" href="https://twitter.com/FordEU">Follow @FordEU</a></div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060991739266514101.post-46291127077652374982018-11-13T19:51:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:52:34.965-08:00Tech Book Face Off: The New Turing Omnibus Vs. Patterns of SoftwareI'm churning through tech books now, finishing off a bunch that I had started a while back, but couldn't find the time to finish until now. The pair that I'll look at here are a couple of older books that I picked up through recommendations on blog posts. The first one, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Turing-Omnibus-Sixty-Six-Excursions/dp/0805071660">The New Turing Omnibus: 66 Excursions in Computer Science</a></i> by A.K. Dewdney, is a survey of 66 topics in a wide range of areas of Computer Science. The second book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Software-Tales-Community/dp/019510269X">Patterns of Software</a></i> by Richard P. Gabriel, is about advice and experiences on a variety of topics in software development. Whereas <i>NTO</i> is of a strictly technical nature, <i>Patterns of Software</i> has much more of the human aspect of working with computers and software. Let's see how these older books hold up today.<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Turing-Omnibus-Sixty-Six-Excursions/dp/0805071660"><img alt="The New Turing Omnibus front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20HebkkJypoE9nu43xi_3HmBRgPRlVhFK8l_AHZ9OdjYyZAeh0mxVEXCYqXJHRLvYBARErGvn9MbTKSKQdWJngzA3ud7I6nCGlEDVcZ7JpXcL86EIMNTA2dlxT6KT_bEuIb739uH6v9s/s1600/the_new_turing_omnibus_cover.jpg" /></a></td><td style="padding: 30px;">VS.</td><td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Software-Tales-Community/dp/019510269X"><img alt="Patterns of Software front cover" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ7k_sENuvPeUdPt9yviv-UKBLKUKJlxCvJmO8EnAmhpXjobziabamXpj5yFf2l0wc_DrGFq9KD7zSUcCvLJee9JB-VC5w6USqGMUkaJOMlOn8MKxV9j7Bzv_hCdW816ZCrCzkepi7PM/s1600/patterns_of_software_cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><a name='more'></a><br /><h4>The New Turing Omnibus</h4><br />With the new edition published in 1993, this is definitely an older computer science book. That can be okay, if the author sticks to the more timeless aspects of computer and software design. For the most part, this is the case in <i>NTO</i>, but a few of the chapters—especially the ones on VLSI computers and disk operating systems—are definitely dated and nearly beyond usefulness. The topics vary far and wide, though, and are generally grouped into eleven subject areas with the following breakdown:<br /><ul><li>Analysis of Algorithms (8)</li><li>Applications (7)</li><li>Artificial Intelligence (5)</li><li>Coding and Cryptology (3)</li><li>Complexity Theory (6)</li><li>Computer Graphics (3)</li><li>Data Structures (6)</li><li>Automata and Languages (5)</li><li>Logic and Systems Design (9)</li><li>Theory of Computation (9)</li><li>Miscellany (5)</li></ul><div>The miscellany chapters could honestly been grouped into the other categories, and the three computer graphics chapters were just as much algorithms or data structures as anything, so nine categories would have been sufficient. That's fairly inconsequential, though, because the topics were presented completely haphazardly anyway. The chapters would go from Karnaugh Maps to the Newton-Raphson Method of finding roots to minimum spanning trees without any ceremony whatsoever, leaving the reader grappling for a solid structure to hold on to.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each chapter is a brief 5-7 page discussion on the given topic followed by two or three problems related to the topic as practice for the reader. These problems commonly explored points glossed over in the text. The topic discussions read like blog posts and don't give more than a cursory introduction to the sometimes deep and complex subjects they are covering.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had high hopes for this book, considering the <a href="https://blog.codinghorror.com/practicing-the-fundamentals-the-new-turing-omnibus/">glowing recommendation that Jeff Atwood gave it</a> back in 2007 on Coding Horror, but I just couldn't get into it the way he did. I found the treatment of the topics that I had already learned in much more depth, mostly from studying in college, to be tedious and unremarkable. The remaining 25% of the topics, mostly on the theory of computation and automata, was quite difficult to understand from the short expositions given, and I would have to do more extended studying with a book like the <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Michael-Sipser/dp/113318779X">Introduction to the Theory of Computation</a></i> to get enough of a handle on the subject to answer the more difficult end-of-chapter problems.</div><div><br /></div><div>I may not have been the right audience for this book, but I had a lot of trouble figuring out who the right audience would be. The material was so superficial that I didn't find any additional insights or valuable practice from any topics I already knew about, and those topics that I had little exposure until now were nearly completely opaque from the text. It was weird. The book didn't seem to fit for either a novice or a (moderate) expert on any of the topics, and the fact that related topics were strewn throughout the book, separated by completely unrelated topics, made it even more frustrating and less helpful. Maybe if you were using it as a supplement while studying some of the broader subjects for extra practice, it would prove to be of some use, but I'm not even convinced of that. I have to give this book a solid "no" at this point. There are much better books out there on the subject areas covered here.</div><div><br /></div><h4>Patterns of Software</h4><div><br /></div><div>This was an odd book, and not at all what I expected. I had expected a book relating advice to the reader on how to design and develop software. What it is instead is an extended comparison of Christopher Alexander's work on patterns in architecture to patterns in programming followed by speculations on programming languages, advice on learning to become a good writer, and a significant part of Richard P. Gabriel's life story. It was a strange mishmash of things that didn't quite hold together as a cohesive book.<br /><br />Throughout the first part on how Alexander's books—the most well-known being <i>A Pattern Language—</i>relate to programming, Gabriel quotes Alexander extensively, to the point where I almost felt like I was reading Alexander more than Gabriel. He also did not spend enough time tying all of these quotes into programming and software, so much of the time I was left wondering if the book was just a review of Alexander's works.<br /><br />Gabriel did have some insights into programming that resonated well, such as<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Maintaining compressed code requires understanding its context, which can be difficult. The primary feature for easy maintenance is locality: Locality is that characteristic of source code that enables a programmer to understand that source by looking at only a small portion of it. Compressed code doesn't have this property, unless you are using a very fancy programming environment.</blockquote><div>We must be careful to strike the right balance when coding so that we don't unnecessarily obscure things that should be simple and easy to understand just for the sake of abstraction. Sometimes it's better to lay out a process linearly so that it can all fit on the screen at the same time instead of slicing and dicing to the point where the poor sap who has to debug the code needs to chase the flow of execution through dozens of functions and variables across tens of files. This insight gets at one of the themes of the book on making code habitable:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Habitability is the characteristic of source code that enables programmers, coders, bug-fixers, and people coming to the code later in its life to understand its construction and intentions and to change it comfortably and confidently.</blockquote>This idea of habitability is a worthy goal, and Gabriel returns to it often in the context of Alexander's architecture patterns:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">What Alexander seems to be saying is that if we try to use modular parts (solid building blocks not easily molded to the current circumstances), then the overall structure of the thing built with them may become overly constrained by their shape. In programming, if a set of large abstractions does nearly the right thing, it is tempting is [<i>sic</i>] to use them and to bend the structure of the surrounding program to fit them. This can lead to uninhabitable programs.</blockquote>It seems like much of modern software development has become exactly this, where we as programmers have been reduced to searching for and slapping together all of the packages we need to meet the given software requirements. In this process of moving towards extreme reuse, something has been lost in software development, and this is speaking from a perspective more than twenty years after this book was written, with reuse being much more common and extensive than it was then. This thing that has been lost is Alexander's "quality without a name."<br /><br />Both Alexander and Gabriel spent a lot of time trying to define this quality without a name, but neither succeeded very well. Gabriel critiqued Alexander's choices in descriptive words, like "simple" and "cohesive," but while he was right that the word choices did not do the concept justice, he did not do much better in clarifying what the quality was. Even more troublesome than defining it, Alexander found that he couldn't replicate this nameless quality by enumerating the patterns of architecture. It's not something that you can create simply by combining known good patterns in a building.<br /><br />This difficulty of codifying quality is true for almost anything we do. It's as true for architecture as it is for programming as it is for every form of craftsmanship, and it seems obvious that this would be so. We can't package up and mass produce quality that simultaneously exhibits beauty, elegance, efficiency, and function. Reaching the point where you can produce things of such a high level of quality takes decades of experience, creativity and experimentation. Most people will never reach the level of craftsmanship where their work is elevated to an art form.<br /><br />It was frustrating that Gabriel danced around that conclusion for most of the book, but never really committed to it. He did spend a fair amount of time on silly tangents, like the chapter where he claimed that the development of programming languages was at an end, and C was the ultimate answer. That prediction <a href="http://sam-koblenski.blogspot.com/2018/10/what-ive-learned-from-programming.html">looks mighty short-sighted today</a>.<br /><br />The rest of the book, detailing Gabriel's struggles through college and running a software business, was sometimes interesting and sometimes not, but it didn't have much to do with the first half of the book on patterns and code habitability. In general, his writing was quite repetitive and disorganized. He would introduce a new topic or part of a story by giving away the conclusion as if it was a stand-alone statement, and then proceed into an extended discussion on it. A few pages later I would realize he was talking about the details of a story that I <i>had</i> thought was just an isolated observation and we had moved on. This writing style was quite disorienting, and the constant repetition of certain observations or narratives, each time stated as if it was the first, became fairly annoying.<br /><br />Between the sparse real insights and disjointed structure of the book, I can't recommend <i>Patterns of Software</i> at all. The software development advice can easily be had in much better books without the extended and largely irrelevant fluff. It's unfortunate. I feel like I really struck out with this book and <i>The New Turing Omnibus</i>, but sometimes that happens. Maybe the next couple books I read will be much better.</div></div>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16624335006709509061noreply@blogger.com0